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This UFC fighter is getting real about why she embraces her scars and bruises

"All the bumps and bruises, all the muscles—that is a story of everything I have done."

Rose Namajunas.

Enough! At WH, the only opinion we want to hear about a woman's body is from the owner of that body.

So we passed the pic to eight provocative public figures, from actresses and athletes to a body-positive model and singer. We simply gave them one prompt and then pressed record: "My naked body is..."

"My naked body is... the story of my whole life. There's a lot around us that we can't control, but my body, my mind, and my soul are pretty much the only things that I can. All the scars on my body, all the bumps and bruises, all the muscles—that is a story of everything I have done. And it's not just my story. My ancestors who came before me gave me this vessel to sculpt and mold.

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"My hands look like my dad's and my mom's put together. She's a piano player, he was an artist, and I use the creative qualities I got from them in my fighting. But I don't just destroy with my hands, I also create: I cook and make art and garden. Being resourceful and creating is a big part of my Lithuanian culture. My grandfather is part of who I am too. He was a professional wrestler. He had a very functional, very slick, long frame.

"I've thought about what it would be like to look different. Sometimes I'm like, Aw, man, it would be nice to have a little more boobage going on! But my body is designed to move and be agile and be like an Amazon warrior. Boobs would hold me down.

"I have a middle finger that was jammed in one of my craziest fights, and it looks like a swollen turkey to this day. There's a bone chip that's in there, and it's a reminder that this finger contributed to my fight, and to my beautiful house, to everything in my life. It might be ugly, but it's mine and I love it. I've got some big old knees, big old feet. I could nitpick, but at the same time, I think it's all friggin' beautiful."

Rose Namajunas has a black belt in both karate and tae kwon do. She is slated to fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's women's strawweight title later this year.

This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Women's Health. For more great advice, pick up a copy of the issue on newsstands now!

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